Crib



E. W. KRUEGER.

CRIB.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8.1920.

1,@;S2;19@ Patented Oct. 117, 1922,

Patented Unit. 17, 1922.

UNHTEEQ lhfi hlltit EPATENT @FrllQll EDWIN W. KRUEGER, OF CHICAGO ILLINOIS ASSIGNOR TO UNION WIRE IMATTRESS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CRIB.

Application filed July 8, 1920. Serial No. 3594570.

To all whom it may concern.

lie it known that I, EDWIN WV. KRUEGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cribs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to novel and advantageous features of construction in the sides of cribs or childrens beds enabling such portion of the piece of furniture to be easily raised and lowered to render it operative and inoperative and to facilitate the placing of the child in the crib and its removal therefrom. Vertically slidable sides for childrens beds of this character have been known and used for some time, the

resent invention pertaining more particulhrly to the means for lockingsuch side in raised or service position and. facilitating its unlocking to permit the side to be lowered.

It is an object of this invention to provide a construction of this general character which is simple in structure, which is unlikely to become damaged or injured in service, which is easily operated either by the foot or hand, which is automatically active when the side is raised to maintain it in such position, and which is inexpensive to manufacture.

To enable those skilled in this art to have a full and complete understanding of the invention and the various benefits and advantages accruing from its employment, and the manner of attainment of the above-specified and other desirable objects, I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the in vention in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and throughout the several views of which like reference characters refer to the same parts.

In this drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of a childs bed or crib equipped with one incorporation of the invention in physical form;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevation showing more in detail the construction and mode of operation of one of the locks or catches of the crib side; and

Figure 8 is a vertical section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring to this drawing, it will be perceived that the crib or small bed-stead has the usual head and foot pieces or end mem. bers 10 and 11 of any suitable and convenient structure and preferably of metal tubular construction with the usual and ordinary casters 12, 12. Inwardly these head and foot elements are provided with vertical guide bars or rods 13, 13, each having at its top a bent horizontal part 14 secured in any approved manner to the corresponding head or foot member, the lower end of each upright rod being held in position in an apertured bracket or footpiece 15 resting on which is a rubber or other resilient or elastic bumper or buffer 16 on which the crib side is adapted to rest when lowered into inop erative position. Midway of each of such rods the corresponding head or foot piece has fixedly secured thereto a guide or hold ing member 17 apertured forthe extension of the guide-rod therethrough.

The crib or bedstead side comprises top and bottom horizontal rails or bars 18 and 19, respectively, apertured attheir ends to slidingly engage with or receive the guiderods 13 and connected together by spaced upright rods 20. A hook shaped catch or lock 21 is pivoted or fulcrumed intermediate its length at on each end of the horizontal side element 19, the upper hook portions of the catches being adapted to take over the members 17 in the raised position of the side to maintain or support the latter in such elevated relation. The lower ends or tail portions of such pair of supporting catches or looks are connected together by rod 23 disposed longitudinally or lengthwise the crib side and located inside of the pair of guide-rods 13, such connecting element not only affording means for conjointly or unitedly actuating both looks or latches, but also operating as or performing the functions of a counterweight therefor which, when bearing against the inner faces of the vertical guide-rods, holds the catches in proper position for engagement with the supporting members 17 when the side is raised or elevated, the upper edges of the catches or latches being beveled at 24;, whereby they will be temporarily or momentarily forced back by parts 17 when the side is pushed up, immediately thereafter swinging over such supporting members into operative position by reason of the weight of the connecting rod.

The operation of the appliance occurs practically as follows:

' When it is desired to lower the crib side from the supporting members 17, thereby permitting the side to slidingly descend on the vertical guide-rods and rest upon the resilient bumpers 16. When the crib side" is raised, thecatches, which are held in proper position by the rod 23 sliding on the inner faces of the guide-rods, are automatically forced back by the members 17 over which they immediately lock, to hold the side in elevated relation, as will be readily perceived.

The invention is susceptible of a variety of embodiments and the one presented is by way of example only, or, stated somewhat differently, many minor mechanical changes may be made in the structure depicted and described without departure from the heart and substance of the invention and without the sacrifice of any of its important or essential benefits or useful and profitable advantages.

I claim:

1. Ina crib of the character described, the combination of head and foot pieces, vertical guide-rods thereon, a crib-side slidable on said rods, hooks pivoted between their ends on the opposite ends of said side, a bar connecting said hooks together permitting them to be operated conjointly, and supportingmembers on said head and foot pieces adapted to be engaged by said hooks to hold the crib-side in elevated operative position, said connecting-bar acting as a countel-weight for said hooks and bearing against and adapted to slide in contact with said guide-rods when the hooks are out of engagement with supporting members, substantially as described.

2. In a crib of the character described, the combination of head and foot pieces, vertical guide-rods thereon, a crib-side slidable on said rods, hooks bevelled on their upper edges and pivoted between their ends on the opposite ends of said side, a bar connecting said hooks together below their pivots permitting the hooks to be operated conjointly and located inside of said guide-rods, and supporting-members on said head and foot pieces adapted to be engaged by said hooks to hold the crib-side in elevated operative position, said connecting-bar acting as a counterweight for said hooks and being adapted to bear against and slide on the inner faces of said guide-rods when the hooks are not engaging said. supporting members, substantially as described.

EDWIN V. KRUEGER. 

